5 teams hunting Bicutan bomber

At least five teams of police intelligence agents are now scouring Metro Manila and nearby provinces for the suspect in the bombing of a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) van inside the headquarters of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) in Bicutan, Taguig City.

Senior Superintendent Felipe Rojas Jr., NCRPO intelligence chief, said the five teams also following up a "good lead" developed during the course of the NCRPO’s investigation of the bombing incident at camp Bagong Diwa last Tuesday.

"My men are being guided by a cartographic sketch of the suspect," Rojas said.

He refused to reveal the breakthrough so as not to jeopardize ongoing follow-up operations.

"We are closely pursuing a good lead. I’m still waiting for feedback from my men out in the field," Rojas said in an interview.

An NCRPO’s utility worker spotted the suspect near a parked SWAT van of the Regional Special Action Unit (RSAU) prior to the explosion. The suspect, wearing dark clothes, casually walked toward the direction of the camp’s main gate before the blast took place.

No one was hurt, but the SWAT van was damaged.

The NCRPO utility worker described the suspect in the Bicutan blast as between 30 to 35 years old, 5’5" in height, with a semi-heavy built, dark skin and short kinky hair.

"We are appealing for the cooperation of the public so the bomber can be identified and arrested," Rojas said.

The NCRPO is looking at the possibility that the Camp Bicutan bombing and the blasts at the Grepalife building in Makati City and a police satellite van in Quezon City were related.

Rojas said they established that the three bombings was done with the use of TNT.

The so-called, Taong Bayan at Kawal, claimed responsibility for the Metro Manila blasts, but the NCRPO doubts the group’s authenticity.

Rojas said the intelligence community has no listing of the group.